Enjoying “Tales from the Far Side” is based on whether or not you enjoy Gary Larsen’s original comic strip. I’d go so far as to say that the original comic strip was never this dark or surreal. I definitely wouldn’t call the animated special from Gary Larson funny, but it definitely succeeds in irony and some very morbid animated pieces. Rather than a fluid narrative, “Tales from the Far Side” shifts from scenario to scenario, all of which are interconnected by some circumstance.
Larson’s animated special is a hit or miss affair, with pretty much all of the segments reliant on some horror scenario that are either really unique or kind of clunky. I thought “The Bacon Bunch” was very one note, while the finale was pretty anti-climactic. But thankfully the missed segments are few and far between with some random edgy mature humor thrown in for good measure. There is even a really morbid throwaway gag with a man’s hand dangling from a window as his parrot squawks “Is this loaded?”
From there, we follow a myriad of usual Larson characters, all of whom garner their own scenario. My favorites have to be the monster in the closet that gets a surprise when he attempts to sneak up on a little boy. I also really enjoyed the segment involving the hunters that strap a buck to the front of their car, and end up becoming the hunted in the end. The transition from print to page is a tough one, and the Far Side just works more as a comic strip than an animated movie, in the end. Although, “Tales from the Far Side” may have value for animation fans that love surreal and darkly morbid comedy with their Halloween festivities.